Zucchini Salsa

Zucchini Salsa

If there is one single vegetable in this world that will make my husband cringe with disgust, it’s zucchini. He has despised zucchini as long as I’ve known him and quite frankly, his extreme disdain for it perplexes me to this day. He says it’s the taste. Sometimes he says it’s the texture… And, I completely disagree with him. Fortunately, it’s one of the few things that we don’t see eye to eye on… I look at it this way, there’s nothing wrong with a little healthy disagreement. If Bruce and I were in unison on everything, I think our life together would be so boring :).

Zucchini squash is one of my favorite summer vegetables and I grow it every year in my little garden. I like zucchini because it is so amazingly versatile. It cooks quickly and marries well with a variety of flavors. Not to mention, it grows like a weed and if you are not careful, you can end up with more zucchini than your family can eat. That’s why I check on my plants everyday and pick my zucchini when they are young and tender. Any overabundance, I simply bag it up and take to work to share with my coworkers.

My zucchini salsa is a great use for those extra zucchinis that you don’t want to give away. It’s fresh, bright with flavor and super easy to make. Zucchini salsa taste great with crunchy tortilla chips or wrapped up in a fish taco. Be brave and add some fresh jalapeno peppers for a fiery flavor. Enjoy! Tessa

Ingredients

2 cups zucchini (diced)

1 cup onion (diced)

1 cup red bell pepper (diced)

1 Tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 cup cilantro (chopped)

1/4 cup lime juice

few dashes hot sauce to taste

salt and pepper to taste

jalapenos (diced) **optional**

Begin by adding olive oil to a nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and red bell pepper and cook until onion is opaque or about one minute. Add zucchini, garlic, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until the zucchini is cooked. Do not over cook. Add to a bowl, stir in lime juice, cilantro and hot sauce. Place covered in refrigerator for at least 4 hours. You want to let this sit and chill so the flavors marry well.

Before serving, add salsa to food processor and lightly pulse until coarsely chopped. Add a splash of water if the mixture is too thick. Taste and correct your seasonings. Place in serving bowl and serve with crispy tortilla chips. Makes about 2 cups.

What a great and original way to use zucchini! It’s one of my favourite vegetables (in the top three maybe), but I know some people who say they hate it too. II always wonder why because it’s such a neutral, delicate tasting vegetable and even the texture is pleasant. (I totally understand those who hate the aubergine texture for example, even though I love it).

What a creative use of zucchini! I love this salsa and so much healthier and more hearty than a tomato salsa. Great new recipe! I have to admit that, like your husband, I’m not that big of fan of zucchini, but it does work in some dishes – like this one!